The Soul Monger

by Matilda Scotney

  “How do you know this if you’re not empathic yourself?”

  “Empaths were studied in the past,” Congressman Bela smiled. “We do not need to possess the ability to know that it exists.”

  “Forgive me, Congressman,” Laurel hoped she didn’t sound ungrateful, she sensed that to be called a leader was a great honour, “Xavier is far more comfortable with his ability, why don’t they follow him?”

  Congressman Bela deferred to Harry for the answer. “I’ve made a point in observing you together,” Harry said. “The other whole souls look to you.”

  “Darlen did well to find you, Laurel,” Congressman Bela said. “I promise the League will repay you when this is over, with a way of life they hope will recompense for everything you gave up, and for everything you are doing for us. It may even be more rewarding than the life you were leading.”

  Laurel knew Darlen told the League he took them because they had few prospects. She wondered how the League viewed that information now as she directed her next comment to Congressman Bela. “The Soul Monger judged our lives as insignificant.”

  The Congressman shook her head. “No life is insignificant, Laurel. But I believe we all have a destiny, a duty to find our purpose. Perhaps this is yours.”

  “Do you agree?” Laurel glanced at Harry.

  “It is difficult to justify what we did. The truth is, Helen wouldn’t have survived many more years, Chloe would have died in the accident that wiped out her family, Xavier of old age, and Eli, his potential wasted, running from the law. We believe Marta might have suffered an early death.”

  Whatever resentment Laurel harboured at being kidnapped had been fleeting, her life on Earth wasn’t worthless, but it was limited and lonely. Here, there was a purpose, potential, if the war didn’t kill her first. Perhaps Harry was right, maybe their coming here would bring something remarkable to each of them.

  “It seems the others were all saved from something, Congressman. I can’t help but wonder what it was I was saved from?”

  “Perhaps the better question, my dear,” the older woman said sagely, “is what were you saved for?”

  Harry looked across at Laurel. There was certainly something special about her, a quality he didn’t see in the others. It was possible Laurel had something significant to bring to them; Congressman Bela had shown herself to be remarkably perceptive in the past.

  “I’m not certain I’m ready for a leadership position,” Laurel said.

  “It’s not a leadership position, Laurel,” Harry assured her. “It’s only Marta and Helen. I might not see what you see, and you are going to have to make judgments based on a skill I don’t have.” He waited for her to respond, and this time she deliberately didn’t look out at the nebula.

  “Okay,” she said at length. “Whatever you need me to do.”

  “You’ll undergo intensive combat training when we get to the asteroid,” Harry glanced at Canon Akkuh who gave tacit approval with a raise of his hand. “Xavier will stay there for the period of the war. Eli and Chloe will be absorbed into aerial combat and ground force support. After your training, we’ll relocate to the secure area on the 100 moons, close to Semevale 8; our initial plan was to take you there directly to train you.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “We need Xavier closer to the nebula. We believe he will be able to sense the enemy as they come through.”

  “If he can detect them, will you have a squadron of stealth ships at the portal ready to blow them up?”

  Congressman Ips spoke up, “They quite often know we’re there. We are unable to explain how.”

  “Maybe they’ve got whole souls,” Laurel suggested.

  “I do not believe this is possible,” the Congressman said with a definite shake of his head. “Darlen is the last Soul Monger, and Earth is the only place to find whole souls. There’s no way even Darlen can get across the nebula to peddle them.”

  Laurel accepted what they said but couldn’t hide her, “you never know,” expression from them.

  Harry didn’t miss it either. “I’m not prepared to launch Darlen into the nebula to prove that theory, as much as I despise the man,” he said with surprising frankness. “Take it from me; the nebula is no respecter of persons.”

  “The enemy cracked it.”

  Harry conceded that point. “So it seems.”

  Canon Akkuh rose to his feet, quickly followed by Congressman Bela and the other Congressmen. Harry also stood and waited the few seconds it took to dawn on Laurel she should be standing too.

  “We will retire,” the Canon said, “and allow Commander Harry to continue with his briefing.”

  “His Excellency is wise, Laurel,” Congressman Bela reached out and took Laurel’s hands in hers. “We have had a long journey, but we will see you again before we leave.”

  Without a backward glance, Canon Akkuh led the party from the deck.

  “They were very pleasant. Canon Akkuh was a bit quiet,” Laurel said when she and Harry were alone.

  “He’s not a great talker at the best of times. I had to teach him English for your arrival, that was the most I ever heard him say.”

  “Congressman Bela is lovely.”

  “Congressman Bela is highly thought of,” Harry said, “and there are a few who feel she would be a better director of the war than the Canon.”

  “Is he not doing a good job?”

  “Some of his decisions are questionable, but none of us are experienced tacticians when it comes to war.”

  “What are the 100 moons? Will you be there?”

  “You’ll see it soon enough, it’s not very inspiring, and yes, I will be there. I’m assigned to the ground forces, and I’m still on combat duty. Asde will be coming to the asteroid and 100 moons with us as well.”

  The knowledge they would continue their association with Harry and Asde brought a measure of comfort to Laurel. She knew the others would feel that way as well.

  “He and Chloe have become good friends,” she said. “I’m glad she has someone close to her age.”

  “Asde is a good man to have beside you in a fight. He’s an outstanding soldier, and he is respectful. He will take good care of Chloe.”

  “Have you fought them, I mean the enemy?”

  “Yes, many times. Don’t underestimate them, Laurel.”

  “How do I avoid getting caught?”

  “Avoid it. They’ll execute you,” Harry declared bluntly. “They don’t take military personnel as prisoners, only civilians.”

  At a flourish of his hand, generated from a band on his wrist, a star field hummed into life around them. Laurel recognised much of what she was looking at from the axispod starcharts, but the star field expanded it further. He pointed out star systems, anomalies in what he called territory space—space outside the League borders, and many star clusters and stellar clouds.

  “It’s spectacular, Harry. I’m…words fail me.”

  “Yes, this is what we’re protecting. And I need to show you what we are protecting it from.”

  The d-com’s dazzling view of countless stars and space rearranged into disturbing newsreel-like images of war-ravaged regions; footage of dead and mutilated men and women lying in the streets, buildings reduced to rubble and the heart-wrenching spectacle of lost children crying for their parents. Laurel never watched news broadcasts back on Earth; they unsettled her, and she mourned at man’s inhumanity. But this was not Earth; this was the desolation of one prefecture on Semevale 8. The others were the same, Harry told her, as the scenes unfolded in slow motion, each frame presenting a fresh and devastating perspective. War. Merciless and crushing in any universe.

  Harry knew the effect the images would have on Laurel. He’d been in many battles but wasn’t immune to the suffering nor desensitised to the awfulness and torment each battle brought. The carnage. The sacrifice. And for what? He didn’t even know why they were fighting. As the last image died away, he pushed away his thoughts and looked up, only to fi
nd her studying him. There was no escaping her gaze.

  “You’re reading my mind,” he thought, alerting her in case she was there, inside his head. He couldn’t feel anything different; it was all in those remarkable eyes.

  Her throat moved as she swallowed, but she didn’t answer, just gazed, unblinking. Then she nodded. “I was watching the images; I glanced up to see if you were as unsettled as me. It was replaying in your mind, even more graphically, because I felt what you felt. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it, it was open, like a door, and I went in.”

  “It’s okay, Laurel, I wasn’t sure what was going on.”

  “You asked if I was reading your mind.”

  “I didn’t say it out loud.”

  “No, I saw it. I read it.”

  Harry tried not to be unnerved, but knowing someone was inside your head was unnerving, particularly when you don’t know for sure it’s happening. He thought back to what he’d learned of whole souls; some were merely empathic, less common were those who combined empathic skills with telepathy. Rarer still were those whose mental prowess confounded even other whole souls. Laurel was again listening to his thoughts, learning.

  “I can’t control it,” she admitted.

  “I’ll distract you with this,” he held up a d-com and wrapped it around her wrist. “This will record images, provide information and support communication without detection over a limited range.”

  “We need to show the others those images.”

  “I’ll leave that to your judgement, Laurel. The League isn’t a war machine. We are decent people,” he indicated to himself. “Soldiers, like Asde, who are simply members of the constabulary; young men and women who signed up before the war, planning on seeing the galaxy, and at most, get involved in a few brawls on the independent systems or outposts. We believed we’d evolved beyond aggression.”

  “Do you think Earth humans are aggressive, less moral?”

  “No, but you as a whole soul can single out those who mean us harm. Fighting for a right and just cause is not aggression.”

  “Right is a point of view, Harry.”

  “What!” Harry almost choked on his reply and his voice raised a couple of notches in volume at his surprise. “How can the suppression of an entire race be a point of view?” he said, stunned by her remark and disbelieving of what she said. “This enemy won’t stop at Semevale 8, Laurel; they’ll go on until we’re all under their domination. They’re an oppressor, a conqueror. For all we know, they’re not even indigenous to the galaxy from where they came; perhaps they conquered that one as well!” Harry took a few breaths to calm himself before speaking again. “Freedom is the right of any species in the universe.”

  Laurel was unaffected by his outburst. To her, it seemed a logical statement. She was merely trying to get the full picture. “Strange then,” she said, “that you use abductees to fight your war.” She knew their abduction was a factor he struggled with, but she was curious to know how far the League would go to win.

  “When men rose up to take another’s freedoms on your world,” Harry said, reading Laurel’s expression and realising she only sought to understand, “to persecute, to rule, did good men stand aside, or did they fight, using whatever means available to them?”

  “Good men were on the side of the oppressors as well, Harry. Like I say, it’s a point of view.” Laurel bit her lip. Why was she speaking in this way; why sound so judgmental? She’d elected to fight because these people seemed good; righteous even, and she was positive Harry believed in his cause. “We need to learn more about why these people are invading,” she continued. “Is it because they can? Is it because they assume you’ll roll over and play dead and merely make token attempts to resist? We need to get inside their minds,” Laurel emphasised every syllable of her last sentence with her fist gently pounding on Harry’s shoulder.

  It brought a broad grin to Harry’s face. “Just as you got inside mine?”

  It took Laurel a second to realise what she’d said. Of course, that’s the reason for their presence here; to get inside the enemy’s minds.

  Hours later, the conversation rattled around inside Laurel’s brain. She’d recounted the evening’s proceedings to the others and shown them the recent recording of the devastation on Semevale 8. In light of their burgeoning skills, it served to reaffirm their commitment. Helen alone hesitated, and though she declared she wouldn’t let anyone down, she couldn’t hide her fear. Up to now, the training and the flying had almost been a game to her; even Chloe as the youngest took a far more serious approach to her education than Helen, and Laurel worried that when the moment arrived, Helen’s courage might fail her.

  Chapter 16

  True to their word, the Congressmen met with the other whole souls at a friendly, informal reception. Congressman Ips and Eli quickly became immersed in conversation and Helen, quite overwhelmed by Congressman Bela’s immaculate appearance and manicured nails, ably turned her conversation with the older woman to the subject of beauticians on Mentelci; citing the Congressman as being the most beautifully turned out female she’d seen to date. Congressman Bela handled the unexpected Helen with warmth and friendliness, and Helen ended the evening feeling she’d met a kindred spirit. Laurel enjoyed a lively and fascinating debate with Congressman Sullas on the subject of language and race, finally learning why the Mentelci indigenous population had such pale skin; not because of the atmospheric conditions on the planet as expected, but due to a common ancestor. He promised further discussion on the topic when she returned to Mentelci.

  The entire reception was upbeat and relaxed, and the evening ended on a warm and friendly note. Despite the Congressmen being the equivalent of League royalty, Laurel felt humbled by their gratitude; knowing the League were behind them 100% hugely influenced the whole souls’ morale. The fact was not lost on Laurel though, that Canon Akkuh, exact in his mannerisms and polite at all times, appeared to limit his contact with Xavier during the whole event.

  Two days later, they gathered in the landing bay of the consular ship for the last time. The axispods were again in tandem and Harry was already sitting aft when Laurel arrived. She climbed in and glanced over her shoulder.

  “I only just got used to living here,” she called back to Harry.

  “I’m used to being on the move; you will too. Ready?”

  “Yes, Canon Akkuh didn’t come to wave goodbye?”

  “He sent his apologies, but he left with the Congressmen. I think he felt his job here was done.”

  The axispods were to be escorted by a scout ship carrying personnel to the asteroid. Laurel had seen scout ships in the forward landing bay, grander than the axispod and shaped like consular ships in miniature, a lily pad with curled edges of gleaming silver; the remainder of the hull, black and sleek, was a partnership of assurance and strength. Each scout held up to eighteen people, including the pilot, and was as manoeuvrable and versatile as the axispods, but with even greater firepower. Laurel took a moment to admire the scout.

  “Will I ever get to fly one, Harry?”

  “I hope not,” Harry said. “They’re warships now, but with your help, we can halt the advance on Semevale 8, then turn our attention to liberating Semevale 7. After we win, the scouts will resume their original function as constabulary patrol vehicles.”

  No pressure, Laurel thought, speculating briefly, and not for the first time, what six individuals could accomplish what an army could not.

  The asteroid field was unexpectedly dense. Laurel looked for a sun, but the only planetary body was a lone planetoid, positioned between the asteroid field and so-called area of unstable nebula. The axispod only afforded wiggle room and her back and legs felt stiff after almost a day stuck in one position. Close to the end of the journey, she dropped thankfully from widespeed, speeding along the field’s perimeter, and staying within the coordinates given, paying close attention to the navigation panel, and allowing it to help her negotiate stray traffic-hazards, like rocks and aste
roids moving randomly through their path. As the panel signalled their arrival, the ship sank rapidly through the belt, touching down in the heart of a rugged canyon.

  “Cut engines, Laurel,” Harry instructed. “There’s an anchoring beam to guide you in.”

  Laurel pulled her fist up from the cavariform transceiver, and the ship slowed its hum. The axispod slipped soundlessly downwards into a cavern, and below her, Laurel saw the elegant form of the scout ship. Above, the other axispods formed a line as they descended.

  “How big is this asteroid?” Laurel asked as she watched military personnel rushing between the scout ship and the axispod as it came to rest.

  “Not significant, Laurel. In diameter, probably fewer than 400 kilometres. It’s substantial enough for these ships and a few more. We have minimal personnel based here, mainly to investigate and patrol the nebula. Air, water is all recycled; at times artificial gravity gets a little light with power fluctuations, and it also gets cold. But we manage.”

  They climbed out of the axispod into the well-lit, rock-hewn cavern to wait for the others to join them. The sole source of illumination emanated from lighting racks hanging from the stone roof. Stout wiring and relays ran up the wall, and cables snaked in all directions. It had a temporary feel about it; as if they could evacuate everything at a moment’s notice. Harry guided them to an antechamber, away from the noise and busyness of the landing area.

  “I’m going to have to ask you how they managed to set up a place like this,” Laurel found it hard to believe she was deep inside a rock floating in space.

  “It was an outpost; there was an aboveground structure that was dismantled centuries ago.” Harry saw Laurel raise an eyebrow in question. Not much of this would make sense. He grinned. “I’ve just given you another question to sort out later, haven’t I? We’ll talk about these things when time allows, for now, we might have to keep to the task in hand.”

  “The asteroid will be Xavier’s home now,” Harry said when they were all assembled, “until the war is over, but for the rest of us,” he nodded to the whole souls, “after further training; it’s Semevale 8. With luck, your first visit there won’t involve combat,” he raised his hand towards a doorway. “Let me introduce you to Cere.”